ANALYSIS: Selling Voters On Healthcare Reform’s Cost-Cutting Provisions Could Be The Democrats’ Silver Bullet Come November

Democrats could rob Republicans of their ability to use healthcare reform as a weapon against them in this year’s election if they can sell voters on the new law’s ability to cut costs, a new poll suggests.

The survey, conducted by the polling firm TNS, appears to contradict the notion that the Democrats’ healthcare reform — which was enacted into law this week during a triumphant White House ceremony — would be a slam-dunk issue for the GOP in congressional elections this fall. The poll provides what could be a roadmap for Democrats to turn what could be a major anchor around their necks in November into a positive, potentially changing the tone of the entire campaign.

Public opposition to health reform rose steadily over the last year as the legislation came under united and fierce attack by the GOP, and that opposition led many House Democrats to fence-sit on the issue until nearly the very end, with President Obama, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other high-level reform backers cajoling nervous lawmakers. Even then, some 34 Democrats still came out against the reform when the last votes were counted late Sunday.

Angry Republicans have been using healthcare reform as an election issue even more loudly since the House sent its bill to the president’s desk. Just a day after Obama signed the reform bill that has become the centerpiece of his presidency, Rep. John Boehner of Ohio appeared on Fox News to say that he would work to repeal it, “if I were the Speaker of the House, and [Republicans] were the majority” in Congress.

But TNS says that, while 75 percent of those polled are concerned with the projected rise in health care costs, but that the public is not as opposed as perhaps Republicans are counting on.

“The research shows the public support for health reform is stronger than one might expect, and that concerns over its implementation are significant but not overwhelming,” says William Bruno, head of TNS’ insurance practice. “The benefits are expected to exceed the potential side effects –- with careful management.”

The question in the minds of the public seems to be one of cost.

“The new law is expected to improve access to care, but we are still yet unclear as to how it will comprehensively decrease the overall cost of care,” says Rob Haley, senior advisor to TNS on healthcare reform.

This insight would appear to indicate that, if Democrats can answer that question, Republicans would lose one of their most potent tools to whittle away the Democrats’ three-year-old majority on Capitol Hill. The focus on cost concern also would seem to tell Democrats how they need to shape their messaging in the days, weeks and months to come.

Fortunately, the Democrats have a very good story to tell, according to an independent Washington advocacy group that supported healthcare reform.

U.S. PIRG gave the final healthcare bill, along with companion “fixes” working their way through Congress this week under the so-called “reconciliation” process, a grade of “A minus” for its cost-containment provisions. Only the lack of a public option prevents the bill from getting an A, the group says.

“These reforms are game-changers which significantly increase America’s ability to rein in skyrocketing health care costs. We will see affordable coverage for families, lower costs for business, and significantly reduced federal deficits,” says Larry McNeely, federal healthcare advocate for the U.S. Public Interest Research Group.

The new law achieves this by taming high administrative costs, increasing competition in the insurance market and by “fixing skewed incentives,” to reward quality, well-coordinated care that delivers results rather than paying solely based on the number of tests and procedures, U.S. PIRG says.

One Response to ANALYSIS: Selling Voters On Healthcare Reform’s Cost-Cutting Provisions Could Be The Democrats’ Silver Bullet Come November

It was a lot of fun watching these idiotic Republicans “warning” the Democrats that the passage of health care reform will cost them dearly at the polls in November. It’s going to cost someone dearly, alright, but it won’t be the Dems. Former Bush 43 speechwriter Davin Frum put it perfectly yesterday when he said that it was the Republicans – not Barack Obama – who had met their “Waterloo”. The historical rule of politics, that an incumbent president’s party always loses ground in the midterm elections, will go out the window come November. They will be unable to win without the help of the moderates. At this moment the moderates are abandoning this sinking ship en masse. The extremism of people like Michele Bachmann and John Beohner is starting to scare the hell out of them. Gee, I wonder why!

Then there is the sticky situation of the Tea Party. By this late point it must be obvious to even the casual observer that this is an organization comprised of morons. It was formed as a protest movement against high taxes – immediately after President Obama passed the largest middle class tax cut in American history. There’s no denying it, these are not the brightest people on the planet. Their overt racism notwithstanding, they sure are funny! One self identified Tea Partier called into C-SPAN’s Washington Journal the other day asking the moderator where she could write to her congressman. When host Greta Brawner asked this idiotic woman what her congressman’s name was, she replied (I assume with a straight face) “He’s a Democrat. I don’t know his name.” Ya gotta love ‘em! Ya just gotta!

Google dropped a neo-Nazi site from its domain-registration service like a hot potato https://t.co/bL0DPT0L1pabout 3 days ago

Who Were the Counterprotesters in Charlottesville? https://t.co/Qs0FmLqfxIabout 3 days ago

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